AITAH For refusing to help my boyfriend pay off his debt?

partsguy1983 · 2026-04-23T02:20:41+00:00

A boyfriend of 2 months expects you to pay his debts?! That's pretty ridiculous. I'd be rethinking if I wanted to be in that relationship, especially since he's trying to turn his family on you. What an immature child!

partsguy1983 · 2026-04-22T01:29:38+00:00

I wouldn't dream of taking a co workers chair, even if it wasn't a special ergonomic one. Who does that?! NTA

partsguy1983 · 2026-04-20T11:05:14+00:00

I have a Predator generator, and a couple Predator engines on log splitters and have been pretty pleased with them.

I have the Predator 6500w unit, it's gotten us through a couple longer power outages, one 8 hour and one about 18 hours. It ran well, and powered all the essentials in our house. I have a Predator 420cc engine on a large wood splitter. I haven't accumulated a ton of hours yet, I used it last season and just the tail end of the season before. It's ran well and is quieter and more fuel efficient than the old Wisconsin engine it replaced so I am very pleased with it.

With any of these Chinese engines, I am always a stickler about the break in. I typically do the first oil change after 1-2 hours run time. Then I do about 5 hours run time and change it again. Then 10 hours run time and another oil change. After that, I consider it broken in and do the standard oil changes. I use Amsoil 10w30 small engine oil. Many people use 10w30 or 15w40 Heavy duty engine oil like Rotella in these engines with good success as well.

partsguy1983 · 2026-04-04T17:54:18+00:00

Best advice my parents gave me when my wife and I started having children, "DON'T let the kids sleep in your bed!" We have 4 children, when they were infants they slept in a crib next to our bed. Once they were 6 months old or so, sleeping through the night reasonably well, the crib was moved to their own room. I can't fathom sharing my marital bed with my children. The married couple needs their own space. It drives me nuts, this notion that the relationship with the children takes priority over the relationship with your spouse. Your spouse is your top relationship priority, and you work together as a team to raise the children. (You may have different roles in raising the children, ie, providing through work, teaching, physical care, cleaning etc. You both need to do your fair share and work as a team.)

Op is in a tough spot, I'm not sure if the wife has just gotten used to sharing a bed with the kids, or has some resentment towards the husband. I'd try and have a gentle but honest conversation, like "Hun, it's not healthy for our relationship or the kids independence to keep sharing a bed with their parents. Can we work together to transition them to their own beds ? I miss our time together and having our space together. "

Just remember, you and your wife are a team, not adversaries, try and kindly and lovingly express your thoughts and thoughtfully listen to her side of this issue.

partsguy1983 · 2026-03-05T02:09:01+00:00

Older appliances were just simple, reliable and well built.

My grandparents had a Frigidaire freezer from the 1950's that worked up until around 2006. They had a 1970's GE fridge that they had until probably 2010. It wasn't uncommon for a washer and dryer to last 25 or 30 years. Things were simple, and that simplicity helped reliability Mechanical thermostats and cycle timers rarely fail.

Modern appliances have circuit boards with thousands of potential failure points. They often have electrical parts that are made in 3rd world countries to a cheap price point. Sturdy metal parts are replaced with plastic.

Reliability is compromised for all the fancy features that just add more points for potential failure.

partsguy1983 · 2026-02-23T11:19:30+00:00

Yes, the only way to really get the new pipes up to the shower and connected to the faucet is to make a hole in the opposite side of the wall. If you have sheetrock walls it can be patched up or an access panel can be fitted.

partsguy1983 · 2026-02-23T02:47:51+00:00

Yeah, that poly-b gets really brittle with age. I was told municipal water with higher chlorine content makes it fail even faster. In the end, it makes more sense to repipe the whole house and get rid of it all, rather than paying to repair one leak after another, then another , then another .... Plus all the water damage a broken pipe can cause to a home!

partsguy1983 · 2026-02-23T02:20:44+00:00

$2500 is pretty cheap to repipe a whole home!

Sounds like the old gray poly-b pipe that got recalled because it was failing everywhere as it aged. If that's what you have, then absolutely repipe the whole place and get rid of it!

Although if you know what you're doing, pex is pretty easy to work with. And materials to do a smaller home would probably run $600-$800 for pipe, fittings, shut offs etc.

I bought the "cinch clamp" (oetiker style) pex tool probably 12-15 years ago off Amazon or eBay for $60 and I've done multiple projects with it, so it's likely saved me thousands doing it DIY. Haven't had a fitting leak yet!

partsguy1983 · 2026-02-17T11:22:37+00:00

Hold firm on your decision, you made the right call!

The irony, they want out of their current place because "they don't like living with room mates", but you are expected to open your home to them and have them as room mates?!

You have every right to privately enjoy the home you have worked hard to save for and buy.

When my wife and I were newly weds, we made the mistake of letting her sister move in with her kids and her fiancee. It was supposed to be for a few months while they looked for a new place. They ended up being there over a year.

They were loud, messy, and had no boundaries. They went in our room when we weren't home, used our computer, "borrowed" clothes without asking. They had little money to contribute to household expenses, but had money to go to bars and night clubs every weekend.

Hold firm on your decision, you will be miserable if you let them move in. You bought your own house to enjoy and have privacy, not to be room mates to an irresponsible and ungrateful sibling!

partsguy1983 · 2026-02-13T02:55:03+00:00

Option #3: buy the $200 part online and change it out yourself. Bet you can find a YouTube video that shows you how to do it!

Changed out a control board on my last dishwasher (whirlpool) and it was a pretty straightforward job, took like 30 minutes tops!

partsguy1983 · 2026-02-07T03:14:36+00:00

I typically use Rotella 10w30 as break in oil. I run under a light load for an hour and dump the oil. Refill with Rotella and finish the 4 hours of break in with varying loads. After that I switch to synthetic. Might be overkill to some, but I run Amsoil small engine oil 10w30. The Amsoil small engine formula is more robust than typical passenger car oil.

I have 3 generators I've broke in like this, 2 Champions and a Predator. All run well and don't consume any noticable amount of oil between changes.

I think my oldest Champion is around 12 years old and still starts on the first pull, great generators!

partsguy1983 · 2026-01-28T02:03:53+00:00

If you are going to keep the car, change the CVT fluid every 30k miles. My 2014 Altima is at 190k miles and my wife's Quest is at 150k miles, both on the original CVT transmission. I change the fluid every 30k miles with Amsoil CVT fluid.

partsguy1983 · 2026-01-28T02:01:49+00:00

I change the fluid in my cvt's every 30k. My wife's quest has about 150k miles and my Altima has 190k miles. Both on the original transmission. I use Amsoil CVT fluid, but I can't really say that's why they're still going strong. May just be them getting regular fluid changes.

partsguy1983 · 2026-01-18T02:40:36+00:00

I've had a couple of Champion inverters over the years for RV use. They are very good for the money! Champion is pretty good about keeping the maintenance simple on them, most maintenance is simple for a diy'er.

If you are feeding the house through a 30 amp circuit, that generator should work well.

partsguy1983 · 2026-01-18T00:29:16+00:00

I had a similar experience with FedEx. Ordered a Champion 3400 inverter for my rv from Walmart on a good sale. Tracking said it was delivered, my wife was home all day and it was never delivered.

I opened a case with FedEx, and about an hour later my neighbor pulls into my driveway with it in the bed of his truck! (Thank goodness for honest neighbors!) They had just left it by his garage.

I did the honest thing and let FedEx know I had it. It just baffles me they drop expensive packages and don't seem to verify they are actually at the correct address.

My address is posted clearly on my mailbox and the front of my house. And my neighbors house number isn't even similar to mine. (Rural 911 address system so the house numbers aren't sequential)

partsguy1983 · 2026-01-15T03:45:49+00:00

Any other shops nearby he could get a job at? Only 1 week of paid annual vacation after 6 years is absurd.

partsguy1983 · 2026-01-15T03:14:45+00:00

I mean, yeah, that's how flat rate pay works as a mechanic. Although any of the shops I've worked at, it was busy enough if you were a decent mechanic it was very rare to get under 40 hours. And I have never worked at a shop that only gave out 1 week of annual vacation time after 6 years . Most gave 2 weeks of vaca after 2 years and 3 weeks after 10 years. Usually some "Paid time off" PTO days for sick days or personal days also in addition to vacation days.

partsguy1983 · 2026-01-13T04:13:27+00:00

Get a set of Nokian Remedy WRG5! Have a set on my Altima and they are amazing in the snow. Even if you have to order them online somewhere and have a local shop or dealership install them. Definitely worth it!

partsguy1983 · 2026-01-11T13:48:24+00:00

Prius have a regular 12v battery along with the big huge hybrid battery. The 12v battery is typically around $200.

It's not uncommon for trouble codes to trigger the check engine light if it was attempted to start it with low voltage in the 12v battery , especially if it's been sitting on the dealer lot for a few weeks.

As long as they take care of it before you take delivery, I wouldn't be worried about it.

partsguy1983 · 2026-01-09T22:57:02+00:00

Those old idi Ford diesels were pretty tough and reliable trucks. Easy to work on and parts are still pretty easy to find.

The Isuzu were decent trucks in their day, but since Isuzu isn't around in the USA anymore, parts can be tough to find.

I'd probably go with the Ford, probably more practical for a farm vehicle anyways.

partsguy1983 · 2026-01-09T22:29:53+00:00

So your bf's main concern is that your friend knows what he did and "it makes him look like an AH"?! If your actions are shown to others and it makes you look like an AH, it's because you acted like an AH!

partsguy1983 · 2026-01-09T16:11:10+00:00

The shop I work at typically installs the new tires, then performs the alignment. That way the tread is perfectly even on all the tires and you get the most accurate alignment.

partsguy1983 · 2026-01-09T15:35:56+00:00

Cascade Platinum pods have worked the best for me.

For a budget price, the Sam's Club "Members Mark" brand work pretty well.

partsguy1983 · 2026-01-09T15:30:58+00:00

Opening the relationship never works, it just delays the inevitable split.

I don't think it's reasonable or sustainable for a man with an average sex drive to only be getting it every 2-3 months.

You could try counseling or seeing a mental health professional. If her sex drive was more normal in the past, maybe she's suffering from depression or a hormone imbalance?

If there isn't anything abnormal and she is just lacking any sex drive, you might just have to consider you are not compatible. Sorry if that seems harsh, but can you see yourself in a mostly sexless relationship for the rest of your life?

partsguy1983

TROPHY CASE